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Brickworkz LEGO mosaics : Headlinez : Richmond.com article, June 2006 The BricklayerLegos aren't just for kids anymore... Katherine Houstoun, Richmond.com 
Brian Korte is a perfect example of the cyclical nature of life. As a child, Korte, a Northern Virginia native, spent his hard-earned lawn-mowing money on LEGO building blocks, which he would then assemble into impressive scenes, full of castles and boats and moats and more. The LEGO fan magazine even published a photo of one of Korte's complex landscapes that he created with his father in their basement. Now, Korte, 28, spends his hard-earned money from his independent technology consultant business on Lego building blocks, which he then assembles into complex art mosaics of portraits, skylines, symbols and more. A more grown-up endeavor, for sure, but strikingly similar nonetheless. "It's contemporary art using a medium that everyone's familiar with but no one's familiar with it being a medium," said Korte. The self-professed geek hasn't actually been Lego-ing his whole life; he rediscovered the blocks when he was brainstorming for an original wedding gift for a couple of his friends. After a lot of thought and planning, Korte transformed 10,034 tiny LEGO bricks into a large grayscale portrait with a funky pixilated appearance. And a seed was planted. In January 2006, Korte created Brickworkz, his brick art enterprise, in which he takes existing photos or subjective ideas and transforms them into pixilated LEGO masterpieces. Much like the photomosaics that were popular just a few years ago, his images are indistinguishable up close...but perfectly clear 20 feet away. Which is, perhaps, their charm. "The fun is in the building," said Korte. "I can't tell what this one brick does, but when it's next to 50 others, it looks like something. And then when you step back and see that it's really a person's face or a baby yawning...I dig it." Korte's art is an eclectic fusion of computer technology, mathematics and artistic expression. After digitally adjusting photographs or images, he converts them into pixels to create a digital map. This map directs him to purchase the correct number of each color of LEGO blocks and helps him assemble the mosaics, which are typically at least 45 inches wide by 45 inches high. The entire process, from conception to completion, takes an average of 24 hours. So far, Korte has created a three-panel Richmond collage; a rendering of Roy Lichtenstein's famous 1964 "Kiss V;" a giant smile commissioned by his dentist and a close-up of a yawning baby, among others. His 12 current works are on display at the Creative Change Center (C3), and he is eager to do more. "My master plan was to do the tech stuff to pay the bills and then this would be a kind of creative outlet," said Korte, who started up his own technology consultant business in 2003. "Given my druthers, I would much rather be doing this." Korte radiates enthusiasm for the artwork, and he seems determined that everyone else should share in his excitement. "I always take pictures of the progress; it's part of what I sell – the story behind the piece," he said. "I do that online so clients can log in and see what I've done that day and give me feedback, share it with their friends, etc. It builds anticipation, and it's part of the fun. I shouldn't be the only one to have fun with it." C3 (1801 E. Cary St.) is hosting a reception for Brian Korte tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. Free and open to the public. The mosaics will be on display through the month of July. Korte is offering 15 percent off all existing mosaics and new commissions through the end of July. For more information, visit brickworkz.com. --- Article originally published at http://www.richmond.com/museums/output.aspx?Article_ID=4313705 | |
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